Quotes from young people (10, 12, 18 year olds)
Nishad Patel, 10
“I love the fun, the noise and the fireworks. The highlight of the day for me is that I get toys, lots of it.”
Anya Vimal, 12
“I like going to the celebrations and love being in Leicester. We learn a lot about other cultures here.”
Nidhi Pranlal, 18
“I was born and raised here. Leicester is home. Diwali means food, lights and fun as a child. We go out as a big family and get out on the streets, we have never known any other way.
Celebrating Diwali in Leicester makes me aware of how important our religion is. It makes me proud to be a Hindu.”
Dia Patel, 18
“Diwali day is not a big deal for us, the day after - our New Year - holds more importance for us. So we get out there on Diwali day and enjoy ourselves on Belgrave road, always with family. This is a family-only event.
However, I have been told that we have something special here. My aunt in Luton says so. Sometimes, she comes down along with her entire family just to soak in the Diwali atmosphere and tells us how lucky we are.
But now as I apply for university I do not want to stray far from home. Going further away is scary and expensive. Having been raised in Leicester I think I will struggle being away from home, my parents say so. So I am looking at Nottingham uni which is not very far off from home.”
Quotes from people in their 20s
Deepika, 29
“I am from Daman, I have lived here for the last 8 years. I used to work in a warehouse and now I see more people coming in from all parts of India. I went to the Diwali celebration a couple of years ago, but it doesn’t interest me much, we have our own celebration at home.”
Quotes from people in their 30s
Manisha Valand, 38
“I work in a warehouse and though 80% of the employees are Asians, we do not get a holiday. If it falls on a weekday then I still have to go to work. I work from 8 till 6, it is a long day and very strenuous too. By the time I come back, I do not have the enthusiasm but the kids are eagerly waiting for me. So, I still bring them to Belgrave Road.
A lot has changed since when I first arrived. Many people are still coming in but they lack the awareness that we have. For example, we are mindful of the needs of an autistic child in the neighbourhood who cannot cope with fireworks or be considerate of a disabled person’s limitations but people who now come in are very careless. They litter all over the place and do not respect the surroundings they live in.”
Panna Sandip, 35
“We have moved to Hamilton but used to live in Kensington on Belgrave road and that means the Diwali celebrations were right on our doorstep. I love the lights, the noise, everything about it. We have moved away now and feel a bit sad but what to do? Our situation has forced us to. My children are 8 and 5 and it is such a joy to be able to show them this beautiful spectacle. We feel so lucky that we have something like this.”
Female resident, 38
“I have been here for the last 23 years. It used to be very quiet and when we first came we had no clue about things; how to manage the cold, how to access medical help. But now it has become very normal to see so many Asian faces here. Very noisy now though.”
Mital Suthar, female, 36
“I am from Anand and have been here for the last 4 years. Living in Leicester I do not miss Anand at all. It gets noisy and crazy but so what? It is a festival after all and people must get the chance to enjoy it.
I like living so close to Cossington Park where they celebrate all festivals. They do Diwali, Holi and also Rath Yatra. Plus our kids enjoy going out on Diwali too, they get to know about different festivals and Leicester is such a great place to experience our culture.
We have friends from Glasgow and other parts of Scotland coming especially for Diwali.
But now we are hearing rumours that the Diwali celebrations won’t happen at such a scale. Very disheartening. How will the kids learn if they are not exposed to the celebrations?”
Arun Kaushal , 35
“I am a Punjabi and love my food. Good food is so easily available here and so are good ingredients. I have a friend in Newcastle who is not so lucky so when he comes to visit us, he always leaves with a boot full of Leicester snacks and groceries. That is when we feel how lucky we are to live here.
I like going to celebrate Diwali on Belgrave road, it is nice to see so many people out and about.”
Bhavin Suthar, 37
“Diwali is a great time for businesses. I know of many people who set up shops during the run up from Diwali light switch on to Diwali day and do brisk business. I think it is great for the local economy.
I was in a London for a while but prefer living in Leicester more, it has the community feel to it that London doesn’t.”
Keval, 38
“I was born and raised here in Belgrave road. When I was small I used to be so excited to see the fireworks, somehow they seemed really huge but as an adult they don’t seem that big! I suppose in childhood everything is amplified. They used to have the fireworks in Cossington Park back then. Now they have moved it to the road. It sort of obscures the view I think, but maybe that’s just me.
As an adult, I see Diwali differently. I see the noise and the crowds. When something becomes popular and large then it is bound to come with its side effects isn’t it?
Over the years there has been a massive influx of people, who don’t care about their surroundings. We teach our kids not to litter or spit but these people come from somewhere where these things are the norm I suppose. Another thing that annoys me is that drivers will just randomly stop in the middle of the road, to let someone out of their car, and other cars have no choice but to wait behind them. How inconsiderate is that?
Having said that, I am aware that the Diwali celebrations are such a huge thing. We have friends from Sheffield who come down to enjoy the atmosphere and the vibe of being on Belgrave Road on Diwali.”
Quotes from people in their 40s
Tejal Arvind Bica, 40
“I have been here for 12 years. I love the celebrations and always come with my in-laws, kids and relatives. We have a huge family and when you have a big family you don’t need friends. We all come out together to see the fireworks. We can’t do fireworks in our back garden so we come to watch it on Belgrave Road.”
Damian Wright, 40
“I have been raised here and as a child I always thought it was too noisy and during my teen years, it used to be such a problem. There were a lot of thefts and pickpockets around and crime rates were high. But it is good to see that it is so much better regulated now. There are proper road closures in place, police officers to direct you, it is so much better organised.
My children are very young and they are more interested in the fair than the celebrations itself.”
A 48-year-old woman refusing to be named
“I am an employee at the 4 seasons Chaat house which is on Belgrave Road, I can never get out there because I am invariably working on that day. It is super busy at the restaurant but the owner lady is nice, she allows us to get out for a while just to see even though we are constantly serving customers. I am grateful that I can atleast take a sneak peek to see what it is like.”
Nikesh K, 41
“I am an IT professional from Bombay. When I first arrived in the UK, I was in London and then Cardiff. I have lived in all these places but settled on Leicester for its multicultural aspect. My office is in London but I decided to raise my family in Leicester because of the community support.
I love it so much that I persuaded my friends to move here too. They have moved close to us and we all get together and go over to Belgrave road on Diwali day. We like to walk down the road, eat at the restaurants and it is a great feeling.”
Kamini Challa, 40
“I was raised in Manchester, and always used to come down once or twice a year since I had family in Leicester. Now that I have moved into the area, we are getting to have the full experience right from the road closures to the build up of the lights, the action and the atmosphere of Diwali day. It is great that my kids are getting to experience it.
I think it is important for the kids to be exposed to this and realise what their culture is.”
Quotes from people in their 50s
Jawahar Vallabha, 51
“I work at Indigo restaurant and although I live on Belgrave road, I have not been to the celebrations. Work is really very busy on the day for me but my wife and family go. I feel good that atleast they are able to enjoy it all.”
Quotes from people in their 60s
Sushma Ruperalia, 62
“My mum Sushilaben used to participate in the rangoli competition and sometimes I would help her with it too. It used to be lots of fun and we would all get together and step out to enjoy the light switch on and the celebrations. But we have moved out of the area now and don’t go there much.
My mum is very talented. Unfortunately I have not inherited it neither have my siblings. Shame really. My mum is getting old now and unable to do them anymore. We were hoping that someone in the family will be able to make good use of her stencil designs and colours. But the youngsters are all so busy. My niece is showing promise though. She will take it on perhaps, I don’t know.”
Kanta Bhojak, 66
“Traffic is a right pain. I do not like coming to this area for Diwali at all. It may be nice for others but not for me, too chaotic.”
Narendra Lakhani, 68
“My daughter was born in ‘83 and October is when the first light switch happened. It was a special year for me, we couldn’t bring her out then but we brought her to the celebration a year later.
But now, it is such a shame that the celebrations have grown so big that it is so difficult to even get out on the road. I missed my hospital appointment once simply because I couldn’t get out on the road for it! It really needs to be rectified.”
Ramila Mistry, 66
“I still remember the day the lights came on for the first time in 1983. I was heading to the hospital with my husband and it was a nightmare getting out of Belgrave road as we made our way to the LRI.
So many things have changed since then, now that I think about it. The Belgrave commercial centre used to be a factory before. There used to be a Woolworths on this street, A TSB bank. Oh gosh, now that I think about it, it really feels like a lot has changed, isn’t it!”
Jyotsana Chudasma, 67
“When I came from Kenya we were up North and then I lived in Coventry for a good number of years and moved to Leicester in 2019. Mainly because my sisters lived here and our daughter is now here too. We would get out to see the Diwali lights and the celebrations. It is wonderful really, makes me so happy to get out there, although not always, the traffic is so bad!”
Savji Chavda, 65, a resident of Leicester.
“I have lived here for the last 38 years. Back then, our kids were so young, we used to bring them in pushchairs! We used to live in the Highfields area and even then we used to travel to Belgrave Road to feel a sense of Diwali. What to do, when fate wanted us to leave our homeland and move to this country. We missed home but it felt great when we came down the road. It was quieter then. The road would be closed but we did not have the vendors in the middle of the road, it was easier to walk.
But now we hear rumours that the council is planning to cut on the celebrations and lights. This is such an important event and they say they do not have the money to keep the lights on. Very sad.”
Quotes from people 70 and over
Pranlal Khoda, 73
“I remember the first lights well. It was a huge novelty. The white people would also come to see what the fuss was all about. There was no awareness about Diwali among the white population then. It would make me feel so proud to be an Indian and it made me happy that others could know what Hinduism is. Now they are saying that the lights won’t go on. Feeling very sad about this.”
Kirit Gokani, 71
“I lived here for many decades now and my kids have moved out. They live in Stanmore, London but come down for Diwali day to enjoy it all with us. It is great when we bump into people we have not seen in years. It offers the kids a chance to renew old friendships. Diwali celebrations give us a chance to reminisce about old times and make new memories.
It must be noted that Belgrave road has no non-veg food places. Kudos to the council for keeping it that way. I only hope it continues to do so, it is important to maintain it, I feel.”
Sushilaben Ruperalia, 80
“I have been here for the last 51 years now. I used to enjoy doing the Rangoli competition that was held at the Belgrave neighbourhood centre during the Diwali day celebrations. I used to win prizes for it and would look forward to it with eager anticipation. But I hear they have stopped it now ever since Covid. Now I believe some Srilankan people have been invited to make the Rangoli for public viewing.”
Kundan Dave, 82
“I remember well: once an 105-year-old-woman was invited to press the switch for the Diwali lights and it made me feel so good. Each year, an elderly person would be invited to do it and that is something that has stayed with me. The celebrations, the lights are all well but the fact that the elderly were acknowledged during the occasion, made me feel good about it.”
Nirmala Pankhaniya, over 70
“We used to bring our children to see the lights for many years. But now it is getting too crowded. We do not come down on Diwali day. It is way too busy.”
Daksha Dashani, 70, Perley Road Resident
“I married and moved here in 1975. Next year it will be our 50th anniversary. Since then what started off a small scale affair has now grown so big and commercial.
My family would come down from London, 5 cars of relatives and we would head toward the Diwali lights switch on.
I still remember when we first came from Kenya all there was potatoes, peas and beans. Oh those bland baked beans! We would add masalas to it and make it for meals. Food choices were very limited, not many veggies were available, but now you have so many options. The masala beans that we used to make…now they call them spicy mexican beans!”
Amritlal Mistry, 76
“I have lived on Melton Road for a long time now. It was such a derelict place before, but ever since us Asians came in, we turned the place around. We are a practical community. When we first came there were no bathrooms or toilets inside the house. We were the ones that decided that we must have showers inside and broke down walls to accommodate showers. And then when the Asian community grew larger we decided to bring in groceries to cater to the needs of our community.
I still remember when the Belgrave road flyover was first built, as a means to build better access and then when it was brought down in 2014 as a part of the regeneration project of the Golden mile. There was to be a Sainsbury’s there. Oh so much has changed.
And so have we. Our kids are older and they have moved out and we are feeling the effects of old age too. My wife has dementia and my mother is well into her 90s. My siblings and I have decided to take turns to host Diwali celebrations each year. We want to make the most of the time we have together.”